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Step 1
Having a decent internet connection becomes more and more important every day, and if you feel that you are paying too high of a price and not getting decent service, follow these steps to running an at-home diagnostic test. If your results aren't what you'd expect, get in touch with your internet service provider.
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Step 2
Visit www.speedtest.net. This site offers a free service that will allow you to test your ping, download speed, and upload speed, and then allow you to compare your results with other local internet providers so you can make sure you're getting what you're paying for.
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Step 3
Click on several different servers on the map and allow the tests to run. By testing different servers, you can make an average of your ping and download/upload speeds, and then compare them to distance. Note that distance of a server from you tends to create a linear relationship with ping and download/upload speeds.
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Step 4
Ping should be as low as possible. Between 5-100 is generally very acceptable, and more than that should be an issue to you. When the results pop up, it will tell you how long it takes for your connection to download an .mp3 file and a movie, and if these times are acceptable to you, then stay with your current provider. If not, consider looking around for a faster connection.
